Book excerpt: An increase in the number of fishers as a result of population growth and migration to coastal fishing communities can be a contributing factor in the overexploitation of fisheries resources and the deterioration of the coastal envrionment. The findings of the development dynamics of rural fishing communities "suggest that contrary to the assumed global trend, the number of coastal fishers has started to decline or stagnate in recent years in some developing countries. The findings further suggest that artisanal fisheries no longer are a "last resort employment" for people in some coastal areas.